


Moonshine

by Tsukiakari



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Give it a chance even if you don’t ship it ;), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23458723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukiakari/pseuds/Tsukiakari
Summary: It only takes several jars of moonshine for Robin's walls to start crumbling down.
Relationships: Nico Robin & Vinsmoke Sanji, Nico Robin/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time in like ten years writing a fanfic for OP, so if you have any thoughts or opinions please do let me know! I was really nervous to post this.

* * *

Nico Robin knew how to hold her liquor. She'd been drinking her entire adolescent and adult life, and now that she was officially in her 30s, she knew how to handle herself.

At least, that's what she told herself as she helped herself to another gargantuan glass jar of moonshine. It was only her third. Or was it her fifth…?

"We can't thank ya'll enough for getting rid of those bandits for us," said the farmer serving them all another round of drinks and food. "I thought I'd have to sell the farm. Pack up, find a knew life somewhere else."

"Mmhm," his wife agreed. "My family has been here for generations, I honestly don't know what I would do if I had to leave. So many people have tried to help us get some peace, but none of them came through like ya'll have."

A rotund Luffy laughed long and loud. "Are you kiddin' me? I coulda done that in my SLEEP. Those guys were NOTHIN'. Easy-peasy, piece of meat~!"

"Piece of cake," said Zoro, trying to nap in the corner.

"Eh?"

"It's 'piece of cake,' not piece of meat," he continued, eye still closed.

"Why the HELL would anyone want a piece of cake instead of meat?!" Luffy countered, pointing an accusatory bone at Zoro.

"I didn't SAY that, did I? The goddamn saying is 'cake,' not meat, you moron." His eye was open now.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A MORON?" With that, the bone flew out of Luffy's hands, the target being Zoro's nose.

Zoro dodged it with ease as it whizzed right by his ear and nearly hit the farmer's daughter whilst Sanji was sweet-talking her. Zoro was already preparing his counter attack when Sanji hissed at them, "So help me _God_ , if either one of you gets so much as a grain of RICE in lovely Melinda-chan's hair…"

In an instant, Zoro's anger was now focused on Sanji, "Or _what_ , Ero-cook?"

Robin was trying, really trying, to be alert and awake, but there was something about this moonshine… it was stronger than anything she'd ever experienced, and yet tasted like hardly anything. The more she tried to focus on faces, the more they started to melt and shift. The harder she tried to listen, the more muted and garbled words became.

Time passed. Perhaps it was an hour? Two? Three? The concept of time had left her. All she knew was that she was dreading the idea of standing up. Somehow, though, she made it out of that farmhouse and was able to follow her crew-mates from a distance. She wondered idly if she should be at all concerned with the growing distance between them as she lagged behind the group. Fortunately, her drunkenness made everything a non-issue. Everything was fine. Her legs were buckling. Perfect. Slowly, she was falling. It will be nice to take a rest here. This is good. This… is…

"I've got you, Robin-chwan," the voice was soft and kind as he held her at the waist, draping her arm over his shoulder. He smelled like rosemary, wood smoke and tobacco. "We're almost home~"

She looked over at his smiling face, "Sanji-san," she said with wonderment, as if seeing him for the first time after years apart. "It's nice to see you again."

He chuckled, "Always a pleasure seeing you, my dear."

The rest of the trip to the Thousand Sunny was made in a comfortable, drunken silence, occasionally broken up by a drunken Robin's absent-minded, soft humming.

Sanji could've listened to it all night.

"Zoro-san~" she exclaimed as they finally made it to the ship. "Have you done something with your hair? It's very green, more green than normal; I _absolutely_ love it. I… I'm a bit tied up at the moment, as you can see…" Sanji was indeed ushering her along, perhaps trying to save her from saying anything she would regret to her crew-mates in her drunken state. "So, we'll talk about this later!"

"What the shit?" A wide-eyed Zoro mumbled incredulously, undoubtedly knowing as well as she did that the two had never had a conversation longer than two minutes.

Sanji whipped his head around to his moss-headed "friend" with an intense glare that could only have said, _If you let one iota of judgment slip from your shitty face while Robin-chwan is vulnerable, I will murder you dead._ Zoro merely rolled his eyes and proclaimed that he was going to bed and thrusting his night-watch duties on Usopp (much to Usopp's chagrin).

"Here we are, Robin-chwan~!" Sanji proclaimed as he opened the door to the women's quarters. "You really outdid yourself this time," he mused as he slowly shuffled her along past the threshold and laid her in bed. "I've never seen you drink so much, or so fast. Frankly, I'm shocked you're still lucid!"

"I think you mean, 'impressed,'" she mumbled, rolling around and trying to get comfortable.

"Hm?"

"You're 'impressed' I'm still lucid. Because it's damn impressive. I should be dead," she slurred.

He laughed. Drunk Nico Robin was quickly becoming his favorite Nico Robin. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. I stand corrected."

She started sloppily shaking her feet, "I can't… can you? You know, a hand, please." Removing laced boots while being so close to blackout drunk (and subsequently drunk enough to forget about her Devil powers) was a monumental task she would never conquer.

She barely had to finish her garbled sentence before he was kneeling and removing her boots as requested. He often said he'd do anything for her, and she'd never seen him act contrary to that creed. She admired his steadfastness.

She slowly looked around the room, and scanned the empty bed she usually shared with... "Where's Nami-san?"

"I think she may have fallen asleep working in the observation deck again, Robin-chwan. Why, something you need? I'm not nearly as easy on the eyes as Nami-swan, but I'm happy to help if I can." He was near the doorway, clearly not wanting to impose, ready to go and leave her be whenever she said the word.

Robin frowned. She had… problems… with sleeping alone. "Sanji-san," she began, ignoring the question, "You're… good. You're a good person." Stretch. Yawn. "The things you think about me… the person you think I am… that's not me. But you, you're… good." She should absolutely not be saying these things, but with alcohol comes the destruction of walls, and this was the result. She wasn't even entirely sure what she was trying to say, herself, she only knew she felt... it, or something _like_ it, bottled inside and she needed to let it out.

"I'm happy you think so, Robin-chwan, I really am." He was strangely touched by her vague ramblings. He cared deeply about what she thought of him, and this was a rare (albeit... blurry) window into those thoughts. He ached to talk to her more, to find out precisely what she meant, but he dared not probe her when she was so vulnerable. A silence passed between them, and he guessed she was probably drifting off to sleep. "I'm gonna let you get some rest," he said, moving towards the door and opening it to leave. "I'll check on you in the morning if Nami-swan hasn't alrea-"

The sight of him leaving, and the knowledge that she would be alone with her unfettered thoughts, ignited a deep fear within her that she typically suppressed. " _Wait_."

The sharpness of her tone seemed to startle him, so he paused at the door, completely still, and waited, anxious.

"Nightmares," she blurted out. "I… I get… they're horrible… when I'm alone they… I can't… can you… please…?" Speaking of nightmares, blurting out her innermost fears to her nakama was one of them. But it was too late, now. Suddenly she was a child again and everything was on fire. As drunk and uninhibited as she was, she still could not bring herself to say the phrase, "please stay here with me." All she could do was look into his eyes and hope it was enough.

Sanji met her gaze and never left it. Without a word, he closed the door behind him, and in quick, swift motions he shrugged off his suit jacket, tossed it over the vanity chair, and made his way to her bed. The Sanji everyone was accustomed to, the "Ero-cook," would have surely waxed poetic about how his heart would explode from being so close to her, and exclamations of _mellorine_ would abound. That Sanji wasn't present, and he wouldn't be for the rest of the night. Robin (intoxicated though she was) had just entrusted him with some very sensitive, personal information, and Sanji wanted to honor that trust.

As he slid into her bed, they faced each other. Robin was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of relief and gratitude, more than she knew what to do with, especially now. She reached out a hand, cupping his cheek, gently running her thumb across his cheekbone. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Just as she was about to pull her hand away, he reached up and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips, and left a soft kiss on the back. "Anything you need," he said quietly. "I really do mean it."

His lips were incredibly soft. It was criminal how soft they were.

She was very slowly gaining self-awareness, and at this point had gained enough to know she shouldn't keep talking if she didn't want to have the World's Most Awkward Breakfast(tm) in the morning. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled and yawned, turning on her side, away from him. "You smell like rosemary… and wood smoke… tobacco… it's nice." Okay, well, her self-awareness was low enough to let one last little nugget slip out, apparently. "Goodnight, Sanji-san."

He softly laughed, turning onto his back, the ceiling of the women's quarters slowly fading to black as his eyes grew heavy. Goddamn, he was going to miss Drunk Nico Robin. "Night, Robin-chan."


	2. II

Robin frowned as the sun's bright orange rays attempted to burn right through her staunchly closed eyelids. She was still in that merciful period in morning-after post-drunkenness: that wonderful few minutes one gets to enjoy upon first waking up, before you have to open your eyes and the hangover kicks in. She wasn't about to let it end just yet. She turned over, away from the shitty sun and it's rays. She was however, surprised to find yet another sleep-deterring sensation once she'd foiled the sun.

Her nose was touching someone else's.

Having little to no memory of the night before, she surmised it must have been Nami (they'd been sharing a bed long enough by now to have bumped into one another on more than one occasion), but something wasn't quite right. She wasn't getting Nami's signature scent of tangerines, instead it was something decidedly… masculine…

Before finishing the thought of who it could be, in her haze she thought it best to immediately go on the offensive. In seconds, she had slid out of bed and summoned arms from every corner of the room, and hundreds of fingers were mere centimeters away from this intruder before she realized…

"Sanji-san?" she called out as she slowly shrank her arms back.

Sanji happily grumbled something about "five more minutes" as he turned away from her, blissfully unaware of how close he'd just came to death.

This wouldn't do. Robin needed some answers. She got into her knees next to him in bed and squeezed his shoulder a few times. "Sanji-san." Squeeze. "I need to… ask you some questions."

Robin, in bed with Sanji, calling to him, could only have been a dream, he decided. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time he'd had a dream like that, so it checked out. And yet… something about her touch in this particular dream… it just felt a little _too_ real… real enough to finally open his eyes to investigate. "Robin-chwan~" he said dreamily, her figure slowly coming into focus as she leaned over him. His bliss was interrupted with the realization that his eyes were in fact open and this was no dream. Robin was here, and she probably wouldn't be too pleased with her current predicament if she had no memory of the night before. "Eh… I can explain, Robin-chwan!" he exclaimed, scrambling out of bed.

"Please, do," she said calmly, not wanting to further alarm a clearly flustered Sanji. "I'm afraid I don't remember much."

"You drank quite a lot last night, Robin-chan. I brought you back to the Sunny since it seemed you were having a little trouble staying upright. I hope you don't mind! You know how I worry about you~" he added a little flourish to try and diffuse the situation.

"Yes, I thought that might have been the case," she began, "but why were we…" she looked down at the messy bed and her face began to flush, "did we…?"

Sanji emphatically shook his head, raising his hands in surrender, knowing exactly what she was getting at. "No, no, Robin-chwan! I promise, we just went to sleep. You asked me to stay, and I… I couldn't say no and leave you here."

Hearing this, the flush that had just risen in her face completely disappeared. She was mortified to have done such a thing. Never in a million sober years would she allow her weaknesses to be on such a full display.

 _Goddamn moonshine_ , she thought.

"It's quite late in the day," she said quietly, eyes on the floor. "The others will be wondering…"

Sanji instantly felt terrible. He shouldn't have told her quite so much. Wasn't he at least smart enough to think of some shitty excuse to spare Robin the embarrassment she was so obviously feeling right now? Seeing her even a little upset, knowing it was partially his fault… it tore him up. He wanted to stay and try to remedy the situation, to assure her she had nothing to worry about, that he was happy to stay the night with her, but he could tell she probably wouldn't be receptive to any of that right now.

"Of course," his smile was sheepish as he grabbed his suit jacket from the vanity chair. For a fraction of a second, he paused at the door, hand frozen before the doorknob. Leaving now felt completely contrary to his entire ethos when it came to women. He wanted to turn back, comfort her, help her. But he thought better of it. She didn't need that right now. "If you need me, for anything, you know where to find me." This time his smile was warmer, welcoming, trying to tell her she could let him in.

She forced a polite smile and nodded in response as she watched him leave.

After preparing a late breakfast for the crew, Sanji made her usual morning brew, hoping she would walk through that kitchen door any moment so he could serve it to her. But her coffee grew cold, and Robin never came.

* * *

Robin spent the next full week completely avoiding Sanji by any means necessary.

This was no small feat on a ship like the Sunny, and with a crew as boisterous as the Mugiwaras. To avoid eating with the crew, she had taken to sneaking into the pantry when Sanji was busy doting on Nami (or fighting with Zoro… or asleep…) sustaining herself on a diet of non-perishables and red wine (mostly red wine). She couldn't cook her way out of a paper bag, so it would have to do. All week, though, she kept getting these… flashes… of that night, just a quick glimpse every now and then: The warmth of his body as he supported hers. Golden hair falling over her fingers as she touched his cheek. Soft lips at the back of her hand. Rosemary. Wood smoke. Tobacco.

At first, she was more than happy to not remember much of the night. But strangely, as days went by, she found she was straining to hold on to these fleeting moments. For some reason, she wasn't too keen on letting them go.

She'd not had a chance to grab anything to eat for lunch, so by the time dinner came around she was famished. In her hunger, she miscalculated how long it would take for Sanji to wash up and leave the kitchen, so as she opened the door, she realized her mistake as she was met with his surprised, but happy face.

"Robin-chwan~" he said happily as he finished drying a dish.

Her smile was shy. "Evening."

"Let me make you something." Without waiting for an answer, he got to work on preparing her some of the yellowtail they'd had for dinner. "You've gotta be starving," he said, briefly looking up from his task to offer her a warm, knowing smile.

Robin expected judgment, maybe some lighthearted ribbing. Instead, she got only kindness, understanding and warmth. As she sat at the table, she was suddenly painfully aware of how silly it had been to avoid him all week.

"Hopefully this is a little nicer than what you've been able to scrape together from the pantry," he said with a wink as he presented her immaculate plate. As he slid the plate to her, their fingers brushed against each other, just for a moment.

It flooded them both with the memories and sensations of that night.

"I feel terrible," she began, eyes fixed to her plate, but unable to touch her food, feeling she didn't deserve it; she didn't deserve him. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been avoiding you, I just–"

"Robin-chwan," he interjected, completely unable and unwilling to let her utter a single negative word about herself. "Nothing to apologize for, you're golden." There was a pause, and he smiled, clearly noting her hesitance to start eating. "Robin-chwan… you know you can't leave me hanging in suspense like this," he added, taking a seat across from her at the table.

She sighed, happily this time, finally bringing her gaze to his. "Yes, of course." She finally took a bite. She was so hungry, and it was so _good_ , she nearly cried. "It's excellent, as always, Sanji-san." She managed to keep her elation relatively measured.

Few things on this earth made Sanji as happy as Robin complimenting his cooking. "Ah, Robin-chwan…" he sighed happily. "I'm glad you like it."

As sad as he'd been all week without Robin around, he had to admit that the events of that night, and the next morning, had brought the two of them together now, pleasantly chatting in the peace that only an empty, post-dinner kitchen could provide. Occasionally they would catch each other without any of the other Mugiwaras around, and he truly treasured those moments; she was wonderful to talk to. Usually, as their conversation would wind down, they'd simply part ways and he would be left thinking that their next encounter couldn't come fast enough.

For some reason, there was something different about this particular encounter. This time, he didn't want to just let it fizzle out and anxiously wait for another opportunity to get to know her more. There was something emboldening him, something new.

So, when it seemed that their conversation was coming to an end, rather than just let her go as he normally did, he said something. "Come feed the fish in the aquarium with me, Robin-chwan~"

The offer caught Robin by surprise. She, too, was accustomed to their routine whenever they had some time alone together, and this was new. Had he asked this before last week, her answer surely would have been something along the lines of 'thank you, but…'

Tonight, however… tonight, she felt differently. She couldn't help but briefly wonder if it was related to those flashes she'd been getting of that night, the week before, but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Before she knew it, she was agreeing. "I'd love to, Sanji-san."

He grinned, stabbing his cigarette out in the ashtray, suddenly aware of how nervous he'd been as he waited for her response. "Ah, Robin-chwan," he said as he stood, offering her a hand. "It'll be wonderful having your company."


	3. III

"I'm surprised I haven't run into you more here, Sanji-san," said Robin as the pair walked up the steps into the aquarium bar after they'd fed the fish on the second floor deck. "I come here quite often."

"Ah, well, it's rare I get to come down and watch them after I've fed 'em, y'know? As much as I like to." Watching the fish in the aquarium reminded him of the All Blue. It really soothed him. "I never knew you spent a lot of time down here, Robin-chan," he added. Had he known, he'd have spent a hell of a lot more time there, himself, that was for certain. "What brings you?"

Robin stared up at the tank that engulfed the entire room, always in awe of it no matter how many times she saw it. Franky really was a phenomenal architect and builder. "Something about watching the fish… the water… the plants swaying… it's just so…"

"Soothing," they both said, in unison.

They both laughed, and she looked over at him, still smiling. The longer she held her tenure as a Mugiwara, and the more she got to know Sanji, she felt increasingly sure that they were more alike than she ever anticipated they would be. There was much more to him than she gave him credit for when they first met, and she harbored regrets about taking so long to recognize that. "'Great minds,' right?"

"So the saying goes," he began, grinning. "But, Robin-chwan, how could I ever hope to have a mind as great as yours~?" he added with a wistful sigh.

She playfully nudged his elbow with hers. "I think you do pretty well for yourself, Sanji-san."

Sanji could hardly believe his ears. A compliment to his intellect from Robin was absolutely unthinkable. He met her eyes, checking for any hint of sarcasm, but it seemed like she was being entirely sincere. "I gotta say, coming from you, there's no higher praise," he beamed.

The two of them walked closer to the glass, letting the scene wash over them for a few moments. There was no silence quite as comfortable as the ones she would share with Sanji. "Want to know a secret?" she added finally, throwing him a sideways glance.

"From you? Nothing would make me happier, Robin-chwan~" He'd said things like that to her before, of course, but there was no denying that the prospect of her confiding in him in such a way was a very welcome one. So, he certainly meant it in a much more serious manner than his delivery implied.

"I like to name them," she confessed, smiling at the denizens of the tank. "Maybe embellish a few details here and there about their potentially storied lives."

"That so?" his smile widened. In a way he couldn't quite explain, he found this new information to be… darling. "So, when are you gonna introduce me?"

She laughed, pleasantly surprised by his warm reception to information she thought would have surely perturbed anyone else. "That's Gertrude," she began, pointing to a sturgeon. "And that's Ben," she then pointed to a smaller sturgeon following not far behind. "He follows her around the tank all day long, I don't think I've ever seen him without her. He's completely smitten, but Gertrude… she's quite shy and aloof, sometimes sends him mixed signals. They're a complicated pair."

"Not giving up, is he?" Sanji said, smiling as he watched the pair. "Sounds like my kind of fish." He leaned in a bit closer to the tank, hoping to make her laugh. "You got this, Benny. She'll come around."

It worked. His particular sense of humor had always been her favorite. "A bit of encouragement certainly can't hurt, I'm sure he's tried everything." Her eyes wandered to one of the far corners of the tank, suddenly remembering something. "Let's see if we can find Agatha." She made her way over to the corner she was eyeing, kneeling on the seat of the bench in front of the tank. Sanji followed, and they peered into the tank, shoulder to shoulder. "She's usually right around here… ah! There! Behind those rocks." She leaned into him a bit as she pointed to a lobster slowly emerging from its home. "Her husband, Felix, died a suspiciously mysterious death not long ago and left her a fortune," she said in hushed tones, as if she might disturb Agatha through the glass.

"Mysterious, eh?" Sanji began, trying not to let their closeness distract him. "Oi, this wouldn't have anything to do with the lobster bisque I made the other week, would it?" he added, mock-thoughtful.

"Potentially. They're still investigating, so, time will tell." They were both able to contain their laughter right up until their eyes met.

Robin turned her attention back to the tank, but Sanji did not. She was pointing out more fish and crustaceans to him, and as much as he wanted to pay attention to something she so clearly enjoyed, he found he could not. His eyes traveled down from hers to her neck and collarbone, her high ponytail exposing the thin strap of her deep blue tea-dress as it slid off her shoulder.

"I can stop anytime," she said finally, smiling at him. "There's a lot of fish in here." She didn't take his lack of attention personally. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to humor her at all, so she was already quite content. She just figured there was something on his mind, and she knew the feeling all too well, so who was she to judge him for losing a bit of focus?

He offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Robin-chwan. I just… something… I got reminded of something."

"It's perfectly fine, Sanji-san," she assured him. Whatever it was, she wouldn't press the matter. It was a kindness he often offered to her, and she was more than happy to extend it to him this time around.

She gave the back of his hand a reassuring tap with her slender fingers before getting up and heading to the center of the room once more. He followed, standing beside her, and the two of them shared another comfortable silence that was all too familiar to them both.

Sanji kept glancing at her, noticing things, like how her eyes matched the ethereal blue glow of the tank that filled the room. He suddenly felt a very intense need for a cigarette, and he would soon figure out why.

He reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out the pack and bringing a cigarette to his lips. Once lit, he took a very long, slow drag, keeping his eyes fixed on the tank.

"You keep thinking about it, too, don't you?" This was a gamble that, if lost, could go very wrong. He was projecting confidence, but he actually didn't know if this was true at all (or even close to being true). He just had a gut feeling: the same feeling that told him he was meant to be a chef, the same feeling that told him to trust Luffy and join the Mugiwaras, the same feeling that lead the two of them here, to this very room together.

Robin, shocked, immediately turned to look at him. His eyes were completely obscured by his hair, both hands were in his pockets, and he wouldn't look at her. She couldn't get much of a read on him at all, other than that he seemed deadly serious.

 _How…_ she thought,

_does he_ _**know** _ _?_

"Sanji-san, I… I don't think I know what you mean…" she lied.

He softly smiled. "I think…" he said, taking a drag from his cigarette, "you do." Finally, he brought his eyes to hers.

The seriousness she noted earlier was still there in his eyes as she looked in them, taking her aback somewhat. If she'd truly been found out, was there any use in keeping up the facade? Well, her walls could stay up, at the height and strength she'd grown accustomed to and comfortable with. She wouldn't have to worry about what lied beyond them. That was useful.

Or was it?

"You'll have to forgive me," she began, looking away, almost ashamed, surrendering herself to the safety and protection of those walls. "I'm really not quite–"

Just then, in a flash so fast she hardly had time to register what was happening, she felt her right hand being pulled upward, coming to rest on his chest. His heart. The reverberations were so fast, so intense…

It sounded just like hers.

They were both looking down at her hand, cradled by his. There were a million and one things Sanji could have said to try to get her to understand, to try to get her to acknowledge the connection he knew in his gut was there, but as he ran them all down in his head, none of them seemed quite right.

So, he thought, why not just… show her?

Slowly, in unison, their eyes raised and met each other. And, just as slowly, Robin reached out with her other hand for his, bringing it to her own chest. Her own heart.

They stood there for a time, neither of them could have quantified how long. They stood there as the soft blue light washed over them, listening and feeling, eyes fixed on one another.

It was after this indeterminate amount of time that Sanji felt his body start to move. One foot slowly in front of the other, inching closer to her while the hand he had over her heart started to move upward. The closer his body got to hers, the higher up his hand migrated, fingers over her neck, brushing past her ear, finally stopping at the back of her head, just as he'd gotten close enough to almost touch his forehead with hers.

"I just… can't stop thinking about the way you looked at me when you touched me…" he said quietly, averting his eyes from hers for the first time since he decided to reach out and make that gut-felt connection a reality, "the way your hand felt… all goddamn week I just…"

The "Love-cook" and all of his grandiose declarations of love and adoration had been pushed aside in favor of a Sanji who was almost overwhelmed by feelings of sincere affection.

Robin had been eerily silent throughout all this. On one hand, Sanji was starting to feel like he was getting somewhere with this gamble of his, but her silence still left him with some doubts. So, as his voice trailed off, he paused there, hoping she would just… give him something, anything, to work with.

Robin could feel the her walls starting to crumble.

Strangely, there was something, (maybe it was the serenity of the tank, putting her under a spell of tranquility and boldness that she never would have experienced otherwise, maybe it was the feeling of Sanji's fingertips as they traced her neck, or maybe it was all the wine she'd had earlier on an empty stomach…) some feeling, something that lulled her, told her to go against everything that logic and sensibility would have had her do, told her that maybe, just maybe, she might want to know what lied beyond those walls.

Slowly, Robin's hand traveled upward from his chest, over his neck, past his chin, and gently plucked the cigarette from his lips, effortlessly flicking it away with a single finger, never breaking her gaze from his. All the while, she'd been steadily closing the modicum of distance that had been left between them, until her lips were over his, softly brushing against them, and finally –

"I'm tellin' ya, Franky, this is foolproof."

Voices. Voices approaching the aquarium bar.

"Usopp, it ain't gonna work."

And, just like that, the spell was broken. Quickly, she tore herself away, distancing herself, a practice she was all too familiar with. Her eyes were on the tank, but she wasn't actually looking at it, or any of its inhabitants. Her stare was vacant.

Sanji shoved his hands back in his pockets, facing the tank, but only able to look at the floor.

"Nonsense! You're so good at this kinda thing! Just th–" Usopp stopped abruptly as he noticed the pair. "Ah, just what I needed! A second opinion!"

Usopp had never heard of the phrase 'read the room.'

"All I'm asking for is a metal suit of armor, a really cool, strong one that can deflect everything. It can be my new superhero persona. Imagine how helpful I'll be to the crew when I'm impervious to death! Everyone wins!"

"And _I'm_ saying that if I make the type of thing he's asking for, his puny bones would not be able to support it and he'd be _SU-PER_ ~ dead."

Usopp let out an exasperated sigh. "Back me up here, Sanji."

 _Shitty Usopp_ , Sanji thought. _Shitty Franky. Shit, shit, shit, SHIT._

Sanji said nothing. His eyes never left the floor.

"Sanji? Robin? C'mon, I'll be so cool. I can be like… Metal Guy. Metal King… something metal… we'll workshop the name."

Robin finally turned to face the pair, forcing a polite smile. "I'm sorry, Usopp-kun," she began, making her way to leave. "I think you'll surely die," she was still smiling as she left. "Goodnight, you two."

Franky laughed as Usopp still tried to make his case, despite this little setback. Sanji was still deadly silent as he listened to her footsteps ascend.


	4. IV

"How we doing on cola, Franky?" The following afternoon, the Mugiwaras were about to dock in a new town and Nami was doing a last minute inventory check on the ship's fore while most of the crew was gathered there.

"Runnin' a little low, could use some more!" Franky replied with a thumbs up and a wink.

"I need some medical supplies, too!" Chopper added.

"O niku~!" Luffy interjected.

"Some gauze and antibacterial salve…" Chopper contributed some specifics to his list as Luffy continued to interject.

"O NIKU."

"If there's a place I can get some antibiotics, that would be ideal."

"O. NI. K–"

" _Urusei_!" Sanji snapped as he delivered a swift kick to Luffy's head. As usual, his demeanor turned on a dime from scathing to soft and sweet as he addressed his navigator. "We have plenty of meat, Nami-swan, but there are a few things I gotta pick up from the market~"

"Sake." Zoro was on the second floor overlooking the fore.

Even as he was looking at Nami, Sanji couldn't stop his eyebrow from twitching before he was able to turn to glare daggers at the swordsman. "Plenty of sake, you shitty marimo. Don't even try it."

"Not plenty enough for _me_ , curly-brow," Zoro sneered. "Put it on the list, Nami."

" _You think you can just order Nami-swan around like that, you mossy shit_?"

Needless to say, it didn't take long for this relatively simple task to erupt into chaos.

When things had finally calmed down a bit, Nami discreetly pulled Robin aside on her way to weigh anchor. "You feeling okay? I heard you get up in the middle of the night, and when I woke up this morning, you were gone."

After the previous night's events, Robin couldn't sleep a single, solitary wink. Her thoughts were wild with every moment, touch and breath from the night before… with rosemary… wood smoke… tobacco.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, Nami-san."

"Oh no, don't worry about that! I just wanna make sure you're okay~"

Robin hid behind her trademark easygoing smile. As much as she cared for Nami and appreciated her concern, the last thing she wanted to do at the moment was tell her about… all this. "I'm fine, just… every now and then I have a little trouble sleeping. It'll pass, I'm sure." Technically not a lie.

Nami gave Robin's hand a quick squeeze as she smiled at her. "Well, if you ever need to talk, you know what to do."

Robin returned Nami's squeeze and smile, with a nod in affirmation, touched by her sincere attention. The amount of trust Robin had in Nami was innumerable, and she was quite sure that one day she'd actually be able to confide in her about… whatever was going on, but that day… was not today.

"Oh! Before I forget, would you mind babysitting Sanji-kun today? Last time we docked, he made us _three hours late_ to depart 'cause he was in bed with a cocktail waitress," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "And I know if he's with you, he'll behave himself," she added with a smile, playfully nudging Robin with an elbow.

Robin held her breath for a moment. She didn't think she would have to confront this whole situation so soon… "That certainly sounds like him," she said finally, laughing despite her apprehension. "Of course, yes, I'm happy to help."

"Ah, perfect, thank you! I'd do it myself, but I'm gonna have my hands full with Luffy-kun. Gotta make sure he doesn't make any new friends… get us killed… you know the drill."

"Good luck," Robin replied, still laughing. "You'll need it."

* * *

Robin caught up to Sanji not long after the crew went their separate ways into town. She hung back at a bit of a distance, hesitant as she watched him root around in his pockets for his grocery list. In regards to the night before, there were a lot of avenues she could go down, all of them equally mortifying to her.

"I've been assigned as your chaperon, Sanji-san," she said finally as she approached him, politely smiling. Perhaps it would be best if she just… didn't mention anything about it at all?

"You don't say?" Sanji grinned as she stood at his side. "And to what do I owe this honor, Robin-chwan?" he added, pulling out his pack of smokes.

"A certain cocktail waitress and a three hour delay," she said with a sideways glance and a sly smile.

At this, Sanji jolted, and his pack of cigarettes seemed to leap out of his hands, doing several somersaults in the air as Sanji tried frantically to catch it, miraculously managing to do so before it hit the ground. _Shit_ , he thought, _Nami-swan promised_ _she'd keep that little mishap to herself…_

"W-well, Robin-chwan, what had happ–"

She laughed, surprised to see him so flustered. "Sanji-san, please, it's fine! There's no judgment here, I promise." And it was true. Sanji was something of a philanderer, everyone else on the crew knew this as well as she did, but Robin wasn't one to judge, especially not something like that. Every pirate gets a little… pent up, sometimes. For Sanji, that just happened to be… a lot of the time.

Sanji exhaled the breath he'd been holding, relieved that Robin was so gracious and understanding. Nami had chewed him out for a solid 20 minutes that day he was late (which he fully accepted without a word in protest; his actions completely warranted it). So, he expected Robin to, at the very least, reprimand him a bit. But all she did was smile and reassure him. Much like Robin at dinner the night before, he felt he didn't deserve it; he didn't deserve her.

"Well, then," he began, extending an arm out for her to take. "Let the chaperoning begin!"

Sanji decided to follow her lead and not bring up the previous night's events. He was keenly aware of how delicate the whole situation was, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away, especially now that he seemed to have made some progress in… whatever the hell he thought he was doing. So, as was typical anytime he got the chance to be alone with Robin, he kept their conversations light and breezy. It wasn't at all hard to do; Robin was, as usual, a breeze to converse with.

Eventually, they passed by a book shop.

"Sanji-san," Robin said this slowly, really not wanting to get to the next part of her sentence. "Forgive me for asking this when our time is limited, but–"

"Say, Robin-chwan," he instantly recognized that look of longing on her face, and the pained hesitation in her tone. "How 'bout we dip in here? Looks pretty cool, ne?" he said with a casual nod toward the shop, feigning ignorance. He never, ever wanted her to feel like she was inconveniencing him. Any little thing, any small respite, and tiny gesture, anything to help her, he wanted to do.

"Perhaps we can spare few minutes," she smiled in relief and gratitude. He was always doing little things like that for her, to put her at ease. She always felt like she could never do enough to show him how much she appreciated it.

They made their way inside and Robin's entire countenance lit up. Sanji watched her as he followed close behind, mesmerized by just how… happy she looked. She almost seemed to dance from isle to isle, excitedly showing him books along the way, and he would nod and agree without really knowing what he was agreeing to, just wanting to encourage her and facilitate her happiness in any way he could. He found himself wishing, praying to whatever god was out there, that he could do something, anything to get her to look at him with that gleam and glow, anything to make her as happy as she was at that moment.

The ringing bell of the front door sounded, and two patrons entered, engrossed in conversation that Robin was far too distracted to pay attention to, but Sanji was not.

"… I guess so, but we've been in this town a while and haven't seen a single one of them."

"Just be patient. Tashigi-chan said the intel was solid."

His face paled. If Tashigi was there, then that must mean Smoker wasn't far behind. Robin was about to round the corner of the bookshelf and into the open before Sanji grabbed her hand to gently pull her back. Robin turned to look at him, surprised. He put a finger to his lips and nodded towards the front of the shop. Robin moved a few books aside on the shelf to take a peek, and her eyes widened. They both stood there for a few moments, running through various plans of action in their heads, when they heard the shopkeeper nearby.

"Oi, we've got a delivery out back, do you mind signing for it?"

"On it!"

Robin and Sanji's eyes met, and they nodded at each other, instantly knowing what the other was thinking. They followed the worker from a distance, carefully avoiding the line of sight of the two marines. The worker led them to a storage room door, and Sanji extended a lanky leg to stop it with his foot just as it was about to close.

"After you~" he said quietly, holding the door open for Robin.

Unfortunately for them both, they barely made it past the threshold of the door before the worker took notice and very loudly proclaimed, "Hey! This area is for employees only! Get outta here, y–mmph!"

Robin bloomed an arm to cover his mouth, but it was too late. The pair of marines had seen them both in full view.

"Is that…"

"IT'S THEM! STOP RIGHT THERE!" He immediately whipped out a transponder snail to alert Tashigi and the others of their location.

Sanji and Robin bolted through the storage room and out the rear delivery door as Robin bloomed arms to barricade the door shut, hoping to buy them some time. Thanks to that transponder snail alert, the streets were starting to fill with marines, so they were cautiously ducking in and out of alleyways. So much for Nami's hopes of keeping a low profile today…

"We should get out of town," Sanji said seriously as they took a moment in one of those alleyways. "Lay low until we can regroup."

"Yes, seems like a risk to head back to the Sunny at this point. I don't think they've seen our ship and we could lead them right to it. And if they _have_ seen it, there could be an ambush." She then frowned, a thought occurring to her. "I'm not sure how we can make it out of town without being seen."

Sanji pondered this as a farmer pulled his horse-drawn cart near the alleyway.

"Cabbages turned out great!" said the farmer, pulling up the fabric shades to show off his produce. "You're gonna love 'em."

"Oh, Luke, I… I thought someone told you… Look, I get a much better price on produce from that new factory farm, I can't really justify paying more for yours."

"That's… wow, okay. Sure wish I'd known that before coming all the way up here… Look, I'm really falling behind on my finances, here…"

"What about your 'intimate farmhouse bed and breakfast' thing? Isn't that helping pick up the slack?"

"Yea, that… hasn't panned out at all… Could you just help me out? I'll lower the price, ten percent sound good?"

"Sorry, Luke."

Sanji grinned. _Bingo_. "Pardon me," he said as he casually emerged from the alleyway, Robin following close behind. "Luke, was it? I couldn't help but overhear. You have a bed and breakfast? On a farm? Outside of town?"

Luke blinked, a bit startled. "Sure do. Fifty berries a night."

"I'll give you a hundred berries if you can take us there right now."

Luke's eyes grew wide, clearly not believing his luck. "W-well this cart isn't really equipped to carry passengers, you'd have to ride in the back with the produce."

"Perfect!" He shoved the money into Luke's hands without waiting for a solid yes or no. "Pleasure doing business, Luke." With that, he was already helping Robin climb up and into the cart.

Luke, bewildered but pleased, climbed into the front seat. "You sure you wanna keep those shades down? It's a nice day out."

"Yes, please," said Robin. "I have a… sun… problem… I'm sensitive to it." She caught Sanji's eye and they both couldn't help silently laughing, despite their potentially perilous predicament.

"Well, all right then. Settle in, it's a long way out."


	5. V

"Robin-chwan."

Within minutes of escaping the danger in town, Robin had fallen asleep. Sanji had caught her just before she fell face-first into a pile of cabbage and carefully shifted her so that she could rest her head just below his, supporting her back with the arm he had resting on the edge of the cart.

"Robin-chwan," he said softly, gently squeezing her arm. "We're here."

Robin moaned a bit, annoyed her pleasant sleep had been disturbed. She knew she wasn't in her bed, but wherever she was, it was warm, and soft, and she wasn't interested in getting up, wasn't interested in leaving the warm, soft, rosemary… wood smoke…

_T_ _obacco_?

Her eyes shot open, and she was looking at a lap that wasn't hers, and perfectly shined, black, leather shoes. She pulled herself away in haste, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap.

"Thank you," she said, eyes trained onto her lap.

He chuckled. "You were out like a light, Robin-chwan. Not much sleep last night?"

"No," she confessed, still not looking up.

"Yeah," he took a long drag from his cigarette, looking straight ahead. "Me either."

Suddenly, the cart's curtains were swung open. "Welcome to Chateau d'Luke!"

Luke led them to the farmhouse, and calling it a "chateau" was… generous, to say the least. It was quite small, and clearly in need of serious repair. The inside was very sparse, and there was barely any furniture to be seen. Pipes were exposed, drafts were getting in, smells were… apparent.

"It's quaint, huh?" said Luke, trying to put on a happy face.

"It's something…" Sanji mumbled, earning him a sharp nudge to the ribs from Robin.

"It's a lovely home," Robin said, smiling. "Thank you for taking us here."

"Aw, well, it's no problem it's ah…" Luke looked back and forth between his two guests and started to tremble, no longer able to keep up the charade. "I-I'M SORRY," he bowed so low that Robin was worried his face would collide with his shins. "I know this probably isn't what you were expecting, and to be perfectly honest I've never actually had paying guests before, but I just… really needed that cash… you gotta pardon my house, times are hard, I've been eating nothing but cabbage for two months straight, that goddamn factory farm is pricing me out of house and home, I'm kinda at the end of my rope, here, and you offered so much money a–"

Robin gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, there's no need to apologize." She knew what it was like to have nothing. "You did us a huge favor back there, so we've both helped each other out. Let's call it even."

Luke looked up, still trembling, tears in his eyes and snot in his nose. "T-thanks very much… if there's anything you need… please tell me and I'll try my best…" he sloppily wiped his face with his sleeve.

There was a pause. "You've been eating nothing but cabbage for two months?" said Sanji finally.

Luke sniffled. "Yeah."

"How do you prepare it?"

"I dunno, boil it? Why, is there another way?"

Sanji smiled, shaking his head a bit as he sighed. "Show me your kitchen."

Robin followed and sat at the kitchen table with a book, glancing up every now and then to watch Sanji cook and teach Luke along the way, conversation coming in and out of focus. She didn't get to watch him cook often, but when she did, she was always pleasantly surprised at just how _at-home_ he looked… happy, fulfilled, utterly and completely in his element. She truly enjoyed seeing him so elated.

"… and you'll want to make sure the mushrooms are well-browned before you add the peppers, garlic and ginger, and only cook that until it's fragrant. Don't overcook them before adding the broth, got it?"

Luke hurriedly nodded, starry eyed as he took notes.

"… so, the key to stir-fry is making sure the meat is very thinly sliced and marinated, but not overnight, only briefly."

"This sounds real good but… I don't have any pork or meat in the house. Can't really afford it…"

"It's your lucky day, Luke, 'cause I just picked some up in town."

At this, Luke bowed again, sobbing uncontrollably. "YOU ARE… TOO KIND."

Robin quietly laughed behind her book as she watched a flustered, huffy Sanji try to comfort him in his own prickly way. She'd always found it humorous how, despite how emotionally aware and sensitive he was to the needs of women, all of that knowledge and depth immediately went out the window around men.

"… the honey is what gives it a little sweet kick, just be sparing. Oh, and you always do the salads last. You can eat it just like this or put it on anything, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, you name it."

"Sanji-sensei! You know a ton!"

"Don't recall agreeing to being called that."

"You're like a real chef or something!"

"Real chef, full stop." He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

" _Sugei_!"

Sanji did his best to plate everything immaculately with the limited resources he had, and, despite those limitations, everything was flawless. Luke was seated next to Robin, knife in one fist and fork in the other, ready to devour. He was visibly disappointed when Robin was served first.

"Apple pork and cabbage stir fry on a bed of perfectly steamed rice," he began, balancing each dish as though they were featherweight, romantic theatrics on full display. "Supplemented by hot and sour cabbage soup, and a side of sesame ginger coleslaw." He approached from behind, placing each dish before her in perfect symmetry. "Only the very best for you, _Robin-chwan_ ~" He then threw a sideways glance at Luke and hurriedly plopped his plates down before immediately turning his attention back to Robin as he took a seat across from her at the table, and it wasn't long before he got that little-boy, shit-eating grin on his face as they both showered him in compliments.

* * *

"You don't have to keep apologizing for every room you take us to, really, I promise we're perfectly happy with whatever you can provide." Robin was trying to console a teary-eyed Luke as he presented them with the only other bedroom in the house.

"Sorry, I just… you're both so nice… I just wish… gah, sorry again!" he bowed whilst backing away from them. "I'll leave you both to get some peace!"

Sanji and Robin surveyed the room and, both simultaneously having the same idea, made their way to the window, looking out at the farmland and endless rows of cabbage.

"That was very sweet of you," said Robin, still peering out the window. "Giving him all those groceries, teaching him to cook… really sweet."

He smiled shyly. "Eh, well, what kinda chef would I be if I let him eat boiled cabbage the rest of his life, y'know?"

"Point well made," she said, turning her head to look at him, smiling warmly.

"If Nami-swan asks, we lost the groceries in all the commotion," he said with a wink. If Nami found out Sanji was giving away the crew's hard-earned berries (even in grocery form), he'd never hear the end of it.

Robin laughed, also picturing Nami's reaction to the news of her berries being donated to random strangers. "You have my word, of course." Robin paused for a moment, frowning as a thought occurred to her. "I'm sorry to have gotten us into this."

"You mean this old farmhouse? Robin-chwan, I'm the one who cornered Luke." Sanji laughed, genuinely not knowing what Robin was referring to.

"No, I mean… had I not asked to stop in that bookstore…"

"Ah, but that was my idea, remember?" he turned to smile at her, but she was looking down, hands on the windowsill. This seemed to really be eating at her.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but–"

"But nothing! Blame game aside, you heard what they said; they knew we were on the island, we would've crossed paths before long. And besides, seeing how happy you were in that shop… I'd do it all over again if I could, no question." He moved his hand over hers on the windowsill, lightly brushing her fingers, and kept it there. He thought she might pull away, but to his pleasant surprise, she didn't. She just turned her head to look at him and smile, which he eagerly returned.

It was this small action (or, lack of action, perhaps) that gave Sanji the gumption to broach a certain subject with her.

He swallowed, finishing the last of his cigarette before stabbing it out in the ashtray on the windowsill. "Robin-chan… about last night…" he felt her hand tense up and immediately wondered if he'd just made a mistake.

Robin hadn't imagined he would bring it up so soon. Over the course of the day she'd lulled herself into believing that perhaps they'd both just pretend it hadn't happened, never acknowledge it again, and she wouldn't have to confront all of the puzzling feelings that had been dangerously swirling around inside her.

"What about it?" she said, trying not let any emotion slip as she peered out the window once more.

"Figured maybe we could talk about it," he replied, shrugging. He was trying his best to make this easier for them both by treating the situation as casually as he could, thinking that maybe she'd let her guard down a bit if he did.

"There's nothing to talk about, really."

"No? Neither of us being able to sleep a wink not make for a good topic?"

"That could just be a coincidence," she said, taking her hand away from his.

"Could be." He turned, back facing the window as he casually leaned on the windowsill by his elbows. "Or, could be that you've been feeling exactly what I've been feeling. Could be that you've been thinking about me as much as I have about you. Could be that you recognized something between us and you've been wanting to feel that again." He glanced at her, not surprised to see her still intently looking outside. "Could be that I have, too."

"Sanji-san I… I don't know what came over me, but it…" she completely turned away, knowing that she'd never be able to get through the monumental lie she was about to tell if she caught his eye. "It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

"Tell you what, Robin-chwan," he began, as casually as ever, one foot propped against the wall behind him, his long, lanky leg bent at an angle. Sanji still had that gut feeling, and he wasn't about to turn on it now. "If you can look me in the eye right now and tell me that you don't want this, tell me it was a mistake, just those four little words… I'll never bring this up again for the rest of our natural lives and I'll go back to showering you and Nami-swan with attention in equal measure."

He paused to let all that sink in. "I swear on the All Blue, I'll drop the whole damn thing." If the previous night's gamble, his bold assertion, was a risk, this was… absolute insanity. But if Sanji had any doubts, he certainly wasn't showing them.

He was all in, and he was pretty pleased with his hand.

Robin paused, hands balled into fists at her side, slightly trembling. "This is silly," she said quietly.

"Indulge me," he shrugged.

Robin sighed. Well, he was giving her an out. Four words and she could go back to pretending like nothing happened. Forever. That's what she wanted.

Wasn't it?

After a few moments, she took a deep breath and turned to face him. Sanji immediately stood upright, facing her in kind, his expression deadly serious.

_Four words._

"It was…"

His was looking, peering right into her, right through her, waiting intently.

"It was… it was a…"

He seemed to be getting closer to her every time she opened her mouth.

_You're nakama…_ _this_ _will be painful at first, but it's for the best. You have to say it, Robin._ _Don't be a fool._

"It was a mista _…_ " she let out a heavy breath, as if she'd just been punched in the stomach.

His gaze never left hers, eyes laser-focused, without so much as a flicker within them. He was close, now. Very close. Her heartbeat was so rapid and intense that she felt like it would burst right out of her.

She opened her mouth again, sure that this attempt would be the last, and they would close the book on this – whatever "this" was – for good.

But something happened. It was only a few seconds, that was all it took. She silenced all her thought, all her logic, all her reasoning, and, rather than close that book, she dove head first into it.

" _Shit,_ _"_ she hissed under her breath as she swiftly grabbed his tie, pulling him toward her, crashing her lips into his.


	6. VI

Sanji had been feeling pretty confident about his odds, sure, but never in a million years could he have predicted what Robin had just done. The shock of it all had him frozen stiff, and before he could fully comprehend what was happening, she pulled away, just slightly, their noses touching. He opened his eyes to see hers, locked on to his.

But suddenly, something sprang to life within him. He grinned, one hand reaching up behind her head while the other snaked around her waist, with a swiftness and ease like they’d done this a million times, pulling her into a kiss, pressing his lips to hers with an urgency he didn’t even know he had until that moment, the moment he finally tasted her.

Eventually, reluctantly, he had to come up for air. “Robin-chan,” he spoke in between kisses, not wanting to leave her lips a moment longer than he had to. “You had me worried for a sec…” he couldn’t resist smirking against her lips in self-satisfaction. “You almost said it.”

When Robin got no reaction from Sanji, just his frozen shock, she was mortified. Perhaps this had all been some elaborate hallucination and she _actually had_ made a colossal mistake. She was seconds away from storming out of that room, out of that farmhouse, when he pulled her in, and all of her doubts and apprehensions melted away.

She felt his smirk and, despite how utterly intoxicated she was by the feeling of his lips on her own, grew compelled to quell the ego that she was all too familiar with. “I _seriously_ doubt you would have kept up your end of the bargain had I done so,” she said softly, holding a finger to his lips once she’d parted from them.

Sanji was somehow able to hide the monumental disappointment he had once her lips left his. “Aw, c’mon,” he took her hand and kissed the palm, still grinning. “You saying I’m not a man of my word, Robin-chwan?”

She lightly caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers, slyly smiling. “I’m saying that your… impulse… may be stronger than your word.”

“Oi oi, now you’re saying I’m impulsive?” Despite how he was aching on the inside, finding their brief separation almost unbearable, he was still grinning as he pulled her into another kiss; sound, deep and thorough. “Me… impulsive… psh…” he mumbled against her skin incredulously as his lips traveled past her chin, settling on her neck. “Honestly, don’t have a _clue_ what you mean,” as he said this, the hand at her waist traveled down, defying his words, fingers lightly tracing her thigh as they moved back up, slipping under the hem of her dress, settling at her hip.

Robin let out a soft breath, one hand in his hair, the other at his waist, as a flush rose in her face. “I wonder _where_ I might have gotten that idea from…” Her grip tightened as she felt his teeth graze her neck in a soft bite. “What a mystery this is, Sanji-san.”

Her train of thought was disturbed, however, by some very loud noises outside the window.

“Do you hear that?” she said quickly.

“Mm?” his lips were just below her collarbone, now.

“It sounds like yelling. I think it’s Luke.”

“Probably just yelling at a fox or something…” he mumbled, lips still pressed against her.

“I think we’d better take a look.”

“Gimmie ten minutes.”

“Sanji-san…”

“Five?”

“I’d really like to check on Luke.”

“Robin- _chwan_ ,” he half-whined into her chest, pouting, holding her close as he could feel her starting to peel herself away.

“It would mean a lot to me if we could just make sure he’s all right, Sanji-san,” she said, lifting his head in her hands before smoothing out the shoulders of his jacket. She met his eyes with a warm smile.

He sighed happily, despite his obvious disappointment with this turn of events. “I can’t say no to you, Robin-chwan~” he said, stealing a kiss from the corner of her lips. “Let’s check on ol’ Luke, then, shall we?”

The pair hurriedly left the farmhouse, following the sounds of commotion. At the back of the house was a terrified Luke, trembling as he aimed a shotgun at someone in the middle of his field of cabbage.

“I-I’m not afraid to use this! I’ve dealt with bandits before! So just g-get outta here unless you want a lead sandwich!” he cried out.

The figure was clearly nonplussed, casually turning from left to right, surveying his surroundings and barely noticing Luke was even yelling at him.

Robin turned the corner just then to see all of this, and narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the intruder. _Is that_ …?

“Oi, Robin!” yelled Zoro from the field. “That you? You know this guy? Tell him to put that gun away before I kill him. He’s been out here ten minutes pointing that goddamn thing at me and I’ve warned him twice now.”

Sanji, upon seeing this, slapped his forehead so hard he was sure he’d left a mark. “You have GOT to be _shitting me_ ,” he half-yelled, half-hissed into the sky. This had officially become both the best and worst day of his life.

Robin immediately ran over to Luke, placing a hand on the barrel of his gun. “Please don’t shoot! He’s a friend.” She could not for the life of her imagine how Zoro managed to find his way to such a remote farm, all on his own, and in such record time. It was almost impressive.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I’ve just had to deal with bandits and vandals and the like before, I got spooked…” said Luke, lowering the shotgun, slightly embarrassed.

“H-hey, try not to step on the produce, please!” he implored as Zoro made his way up to the house through the field.

As the four of them made their way inside, Zoro didn’t even acknowledge Sanji was there. Just as well for Sanji, because he was sure to explode at the swordsman if he had.

“Welcome!” said Luke once they were all inside. “Sorry again about earlier,” he bowed apologetically. “But, I promise, any friend of Sanji and Robin’s is a friend of mine!”

“This place is a dump,” said Zoro casually.

“GAH.” Still bowing, Luke erupted into tears.

“ _Now_ look what you’ve done! Would it kill you to keep your shitty mouth shut? You think he’s _blind_ or something? You forget that the only person lacking depth perception in this goddamn place is YOU?” Sanji was angrier with Zoro than he’d ever been in all his time as a Mugiwara, and, in all honesty, it had very little to do with Luke.

“What’s eating him?” Zoro inquired of Robin as he made his way to the kitchen.

Robin had a pretty good idea of what it could be… but she could only offer a half shrug and smile in response.

“DON’T IGNORE ME.” Sanji angrily stomped after him while Robin and Luke hurriedly followed after the two.

Zoro glanced at Robin’s face, then Sanji’s, then Robin’s once more. “Where’s the sake?”

“Sorry, no sake here!” said Luke. “I’ve got water if you’re thirsty.”

“You’re lying to me.” Zoro was methodically checking every cupboard.

Luke, puzzled as to why someone would lie about having sake, scratched his head. “No, sorry, th—”

“Robin’s had some. Look at her face.”

Suddenly, Robin was very aware of three sets of eyes intently trained onto her face. She caught her reflection in a mirror on the wall, and her eyes widened in shock. The flush in her face hadn’t subsided at all. Her lips were crimson, and slightly more pronounced. In all of the hustle and bustle, she hadn’t been able to fix her hair, and it was very, very disheveled.

Mortified, she immediately turned away, hastily trying to do something about the state of her hair. “N-no, Luke is correct. There’s no sake here. This is… I had a hot shower earlier… spent a little too long in there, I suppose.” It was a terrible excuse, but it would have to do.

Zoro made a low, contemplative grunting noise as he pondered this explanation. Sake was, after all, a serious matter and merited serious thought. “Fine,” he said finally, allowing Robin to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Did Nami-san send you to look for us?” asked Robin, desperate to change the subject.

“Nope. I _was_ in town with them, then… next thing I know I’m surrounded by cabbage in who-fucking-knows-where with some guy pointing a gun in my face.”

“I’m surprised you can find your own ass to wipe, marimo,” Sanji scoffed.

“And I’m surprised you can function with your dick in your hand all the time, Ero-cook.”

“ _I’ll kill you_.”

“I’d gut you like a fish before you even moved a hair on your shitty head.”

Luke was standing just behind Robin as he helplessly watched the pair, still very wary of Zoro, and concerned that these two might destroy what was left of his home. “A-are you sure he’s a friend, Robin?” he whispered to her.

“It’s… well… complicated,” she replied, smiling to hide her embarrassment. “But Zoro is a friend of mine, I can promise you that.” With that, she sighed, still smiling as she bloomed an arm from each of their backs and ruthlessly yanked on their ears. “Are you two gentlemen ready to discuss a plan of action to get off this island or would you prefer to carry on bickering?”

It didn’t take long for both of them to come to a mutual understanding and calmly sit at the kitchen table.

“Perfect!” she said cheerily. “When did you last see the others, Zoro-san?”

He scratched his head. “Eh… dunno. We separated pretty early on.”

“Have any marines seen you?”

“There’s marines?”

Robin covered her mouth with her hand to hide her soft laughter. Zoro getting separated and lost _this_ quickly had to have been a record for him. “That’s good news. They won’t have any reason to come out this way, then. That should give us some time.”

“Why are we hiding? Let’s just go kick their asses and leave.”

Sanji rolled his eyes. “We aren’t just talking about low-ranking cannon fodder, here. Smoker and Tashigi-chan are on the island.”

Zoro, rather than be discouraged by this new information, was thrilled. “Yeah? Even better. I can take care of that impostor and her little boyfriend on my own, no sweat.” He grinned as his folded his arms behind his head.

“Don’t be stupid. We aren’t in the position to be locked in a battle with Smoker and all his cronies. We’ll be sitting ducks if they call for reinforcements while we’re fighting; it wouldn’t take long for an admiral or three to show up. They’ve probably _already_ alerted the higher-ups to our location.”

Zoro scoffed. “I say we just kill them now so we don’t have to deal with ‘em anymore.”

“Did you listen to _anything_ I _just_ said, idiot marimo?”

Unlike Zoro, Luke had been carefully listening to all of this, trying to make himself seem busy by tidying up the kitchen in the background. He grew quite concerned with all the talk of marines (specifically of… killing them), and timidly spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt, uh, are you all in some kinda trouble? With marines? Are… are you guys… um… p-pirates?”

All three Mugiwaras turned to look at Luke, Robin and Sanji both wondering how they might gently break this news to their new friend, and Zoro idly wondering if he might have to kill this man after all.

Before any of them could proceed, however, a low rumbling began to shake the very foundations of the farmhouse.

“What the shit… you get _earthquakes_ on this island?” Zoro said, bracing himself as the shaking grew more intense with every passing moment.

“I’ve been here my whole damn life and I’ve never seen a single one!”

In conjunction with the rumbling, Robin could hear… voices in the distance. A chorus of voices.

Sanji caught her eye. “You hear that, too?”

Robin nodded, and the three of them quickly ran outside, Luke following close behind. They all immediately turned towards the forest and could see the trees tremor in conjunction with all the commotion, until finally, Luffy burst through the forest’s edge, holding a deeply annoyed Nami and a terrified Usopp in one of his elongated arms, the rest of the Mugiwaras following close behind, with Smoker, Tashigi, and hundreds of marines in hot pursuit.

For the second time that day, Zoro grinned. “Oi! Luffy! Over here!” he yelled out.

Luffy narrowed his eyes a bit to focus on where this was coming from, eyes widening in happy surprise as he recognized his nakama. “Zoro! Robin! Sanji! Look, Smoker’s here~!” he yelled back, grinning from ear to ear. “Nami’s making us run instead of fight! It’s SHIT!”

Nami, beyond relieved to have all the crew in one place, called out to them, still being carried as Luffy ran. “We’re really close to the ship! Just follow us and we’ll make it, no problem! And if you try to stay and fight, _Zoro_ , I’ll kill you!”

The rest of the Mugiwaras rushed past them in something of a parade. You almost wouldn’t know they were running for their lives.

“We picked up just enough cola for a Coup de Burst! Ow~!”

“Goodness, I sure am out of breath from all this running! Ah, wait, I forgot, I don’t have lungs! Yohohohoho~!”

“I hope you didn’t forget to buy chocolate and cotton candy, Sanji!”

“See you at the Sunny, Robin.” And Zoro was off, too.

Sanji looked at Robin, smiling despite the chaos, despite Smoker’s pursuit, despite whatever the _hell_ Zoro thought he was doing saying goodbye to Robin as if he wasn’t even there, and he held out a hand for her to take. “I hope you don’t mind if I carry you, Robin-chwan.”

She smiled as well, taking his hand without a second thought. She didn’t take offense to this offer, his ability was certainly much faster and safer than her own in this particular circumstance. “Of course not.”

With that, he scooped her up in a single, swift motion, one arm holding her legs while the other was at her back,  and with a nimble jump and a few kicks ,  he  began their ascent into the sky. “ Oi! Don’t forget what I said about overcooking those mushrooms!” Sanji called down to Luke. 

Robin laughed, supposing this was his prickly way of saying goodbye. “Thank you for all your help!”

“Robin! Sanji-sensei! Earlier I… I…” Luke called out from below as they rose. He had been watching everything, completely slack-jawed from all the excitement and unable to speak until now. “What I was gonna say earlier is… is…” 

Luke swallowed. 

“I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE PIRATES!” He said this loud enough that Smoker, Tashigi, and all of their men probably heard it. “You were nothin’ but nice to me and I’ll never forget you guys! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

R obin waved down to  Luke , still smiling as she slowly relaxed her head, coming to rest against Sanji’s shoulder  as the wind whipped  at  her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very, very rubbish with writing action, so this took me longer than I would have liked. :s


End file.
